


In Desperate Need of Comfort

by meanttobeclever



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Mentions of Child Negligence, Smoking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-28 09:21:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19809370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meanttobeclever/pseuds/meanttobeclever
Summary: "Eponine is no longer in the habit of stealing or smoking anymore but tonight, well tonight, she needs something to calm her nerves."Eponine uses a cigarette as an excuse to avoid her past at a party. Unfortunately, Cosette smokes too.





	In Desperate Need of Comfort

**Author's Note:**

> CW: Mentions of Child Negligence and a lot of smoking.

Swiping the cigarettes out of Grantaire’s pocket while he drunkenly moons over Enjolras had been easy, much easier than convincing him to give her one. Eponine is no longer in the habit of stealing or smoking anymore but tonight, well tonight, she needs something to calm her nerves. Stealing is for desperate times and she desperately needs the comfort of old habits right now. So she stole the box and a lighter then snuck outside unnoticed, or so she thought. Unfortunately, the very person she’s trying to avoid caught her escape attempt and follows Eponine out to the stoop.

Grantaire’s lighter is held together by rainbow duct tape and hope. It lights properly about thirty percent of the time. Grantaire likes his shitty lighter as it means he smokes seventy percent less. Beyond the health benefits, he explains the shitty lighter also means he has a reason to approach cute strangers, that’s how the two of them had met after all.

“Conniving bastard,” Eponine growls as she tries in vain to spark a flame. So concentrated on her task she doesn’t notice the door open behind her.  
“Do you need a light,” a soft feminine voice asks sitting down beside her.

The voice is deeper than the last time she had heard it echoing up the stairs singing about imaginary castles in the sky. However, the feathery gentleness of the women’s voice is unmistakable. Eponine drops the lighter and it bounces down toward the street, it hits the last step and Eponine hears it crack.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” 

Eponine gets up from her spot to pick up the useless lighter. Perhaps, she should just walk away. She could text Grantaire that she isn’t feeling well. If she hid the broken lighter in his room he might think he broke it.

“Don’t worry about it,” Eponine sighs, “I shouldn’t be smoking anyway,”

With that, she starts to walk away. Montparnasse would be just about done with Gavroche’s hyperactivity about now. She probably should have left the party hours ago.

“That’s a pity, I was hoping for some company.” 

There’s the click of a lighter, an inhale, an exhale, and Eponine turns around just in time to watch the last of the smoke curl out of Cosette’s pink lips.

Cosette is pretty. She had even been pretty dressed in ragged clothes with stringy hair and dirt on her face. Eponine had tried to hate her like the rest of her family but, plain as she was in comparison, she could never summon the bitterness to begrudge Cosette her good looks. There’s something to be said for being the only pretty thing in the Thenardier’s dingy house. Sitting on the stoop of Courfeyrac’s apartment, clean, with nice clothes, and a cigarette in her slender hands, Cosette is no longer pretty. Eponine realizes she has grown into someone beautiful. Shortly thereafter, Eponine realizes she’s staring and has yet to say a word.

“I guess one cigarette wouldn’t hurt,” Eponine finally replies, stepping back to sit down on the stoop again.

Cosette leans in close to Eponine, maybe closer than necessary, she smells like menthols and lavender and flicks the lighter. 

“Thanks,” Eponine says and takes a long drag then exhales the smoke facing away from Cosette.

They sit in silence but for the inhaling and exhaling of smoke. Cosette pulls long drags and releases them shakily. They both finish their respective cigarettes and stub them into the ground then Eponine feels a tentative hand on her shoulder. 

“This may sound strange but could you look at me? Please. I think I’m right but I have to see your eyes.”

Cosette’s blue eyes meet Eponine’s brown ones and Eponine bites her lip. Maybe, Cosette won’t recognize her. It has been over a decade since they had seen each other. Dread is settling in Eponine’s stomach. Here is the girl from whom her family had stolen a childhood. They had used her, been cruel to her, and had some hand in killing her mother. What was Cosette going to say to her now? 

“It is you. I can’t believe it. Eponine Thenardier. I am so sorry”

That’s unexpected. Eponine is too confused to even think about her guilt at that moment. 

“Sorry? What?” Eponine sputters, “I forgive you?”  
“Papa and I, we tried to come back for you and Azelma after we were settled but there was no one at the inn. As far as everyone on the block was concerned, the Thenardiers had ceased to exist.”  
“That was the Jondrette plan. My dad got into some trouble that he couldn’t wiggle his way out of that time.”  
“We didn’t have anything to follow. When I met Marius and he mentioned an Eponine Jondrette. Well, It’s not a common first name…I had hoped and I was right.”  
“You’re one to talk Euphrasie Cosette,” snorts Eponine, “Why did you want to find me though? We were awful to you. I was awful.”  
“No, you weren’t. I remember. Your family must’ve thought you were awfully clumsy the way you dropped food all the time. They must’ve thought you were very forgetful leaving your blanket tucked in dark corners on cold nights. I bet they didn’t even know you cleaned the house while they weren’t looking. But I did. I noticed”  
“I tried to help where I could. But I could’ve done better Cosette. I never talked to you even when I knew you were lonely. I wasn’t good to you”  
“You were good in quiet ways. For that, I considered you a friend.”  
“I wanted to be your friend,” Eponine admitted, “I’m sorry that I was so afraid,”  
“I’ll forgive you if you forgive me,” Cosette said with tears welling in her eyes, “and we can start being friends now, okay?”

Eponine nods and Cosette smiles widely through her tears. The woman even looks beautiful when she cries; it’s really unfair. Eponine breathes deeply then exhales out. Years of guilt are released from her, blown away like smoke from a cigarette. Cosette pulls her into a tight hug and any dread left in Eponine’s stomach is replaced with a new sensation, it’s like the flapping wings of a butterfly. Shit.


End file.
